1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to fuel economy measures. In particular it relates to reducing fuel consumption by having present in the combustion environment of an internal combustion engine a polymerizable (e.g., monomeric) polyfluorinated compound.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
For several years there have been numerous efforts to reduce the amount of fuel consumed by automobile engines and the like. The search for ways to do this was given added impetus by the oil embargo. Many of the solutions have been strictly mechanical, as for example, setting the engine for a leaner burn or simply building smaller cars and smaller engines.
Other efforts have revolved around finding lubricants that reduce the overall friction in the engine, thus allowing a reduction in energy requirements thereto. A considerable amount of work has been done with mineral lubricating oils and greases, modifying them with additives to enhance their friction properties. On the other hand, new lubricants have been synthesized and compounded for use in modern engines. Among these is Mobile 1, a synthetic fluid which is known to reduce fuel consumption by a significant amount. It is, however, the physical properties of the oil itself that provide improved lubrication (and thus improved fuel consumption) and not the additives present.
So far as is known, no efforts have been made to place polymerizable polyfluoro compounds in hydrocarbon fuels. U.S. Pat. No. 2,715,107 teaches a cold weather lubricant containing a perfluoro-organic acid or a derivative thereof. The acids include perfluoroacetic acid, perfluoropropionic acid and the like.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,794,473 is concerned with a motor fuel containing an anti-knock amount of a rare earth B-ketoenolate, which may contain fluorine. A lubricating oil containing a product of reaction between an aromatic amine and a fluorinated monobasic saturated carboxylic acid is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,634,242. A complex material, 4,4-bis(trifluoromethyl-2,2,2-triphenyl-3-(triphenylphosphoranylidene)-1,2 -oxaphosphetane, its thermal cleavage product or the acid adducts of either are taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,488,408 to be useful as additives to petroleum products. Finally U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,301 discloses the addition of polymeric pentadecafluoro octyl methacrylate to gasoline.